MY STORY:

My story is one of drive and passion to identify what makes a full human experience.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been hungry to discover exactly what makes people feel they are actually living fulfilling, successful, and happy lives.

I first started this journey through exploring the body – what it’s capable of, how we can make it work for us, and how we can do it efficiently.

MY STORY STARTED IN A GARAGE.

A born-and-raised small town guy from McMinnville, Oregon, I first moved to California in 1998 to pursue my passion for health and fitness.

My humble beginnings were nothing more than a gym I based out of my garage and a desire to help people become the best athletes they could possibly be.

That small garage gym quickly turned into an 8,000 sqft facility – a complete health and training business that focused on efficiency, complete health audits, accountability, and measurable results.

Throughout my career I’ve worked with high-achieving CEOs, professional athletes, tactical teams, and extremely motivated individuals. I’ve become a leading authority on optimizing insatiable inner drives and offsetting damaging habits for real results.

I’ve had the honor of being featured on Dr. Daniel Amen’s PBS special and in his best-selling book, The Amen Solution. And I’ve designed workouts for Tana Amen’s best-selling book, The Omni Diet.

Throughout my life, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with athletes such as Carson Wentz (QB of the Philadelphia Eagles), Brendan Steele (PGA Golfer), and Sam Briggs (winner of the 2013 CrossFit Games), to name a few.

My book, The Stark Naked 21 Day Metabolic Reset, is a groundbreaking lifestyle plan that became an Amazon Health & Fitness best-seller.

Being surrounded by high-performing athletes, businessmen, and entrepreneurs gave me a truly unique insight into the psyche, motivations, and pitfalls of the overachieving mindset.

His book is phenomenal. I get a lot of books and I absolutely loved it.

— Robb Wolf

I don’t say any of this to brag. I say this to paint a picture.

Because eventually, my passion for fitness turned to obsession, which caused a physical and emotional crash and ultimately led me to reevaluate everything I thought I knew about life.

I PUSHED MYSELF SO HARD, I ALMOST WORKED MYSELF LITERALLY TO DEATH.

I believe life is a series of daily decisions which compound and ultimately contribute to your success, or to your demise. Throughout your life, you have the chance to correct your course at any time and start choosing habits that serve you best.

I learned firsthand the compounding power of daily decisions after years of pushing myself to the extreme.

Ultimately, my turning point ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Because it forced me to stop everything I was doing and look at how I was approaching every aspect of life.

Most importantly, it took my coaching beyond the limits of the body and into the mental and emotional realms. It was the catalyst for what my coaching is today – a comprehensive approach to optimizing the body, mind, and spirit.

PUSHING MY BODY PAST ITS LIMIT

I got to a point where I was completely surrounded by professional athletes and relentless CEOs. I decided I wanted to see just how far I could take my physical success. After careful assessment of my physical strengths, I decided I would train and try out for the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team. I was training up to three times a day just to keep up with the guys who would eventually go on to win Olympic Gold. I was missing time with my family, and I was absolutely miserable. I was grumpy all the time, having trouble sleeping, and an emotional wreck.

THE TURNING POINT

My wife demanded I go to the doctor and the results were astonishing.

The doctor told me I was:

Prediabetic

Suffering from hypothyroidism

Experiencing the testosterone levels of an “85-year old sick man”

Though most people probably couldn’t tell that just by looking at me. I immediate thought of my new-born daughter. What the hell was I doing to myself? And for what reasons? I was white-knuckling through every day, with sheer willpower to get up before dawn and push myself to my limit and beyond. And I did what most high-achievers do in a time of crisis – I over-compensated and thought that if I just continued to push through the pain and misery, eventually I would realize my full-potential.

WHAT DID THIS TURNING POINT TEACH ME?

A HELL OF A LOT

I realized too many of my actions were not fueled by my own dreams and desires but by what I thought I needed to be in order to be of value to the world.

If only I looked fitter, I’d feel happier.If only I proved myself intellectually, I’d feel valued. If only I made an Olympic team, I’d feel successful.

“If only’s” ran my life.

I created an invisible panel of judges who always thought what I did was never enough.

I continued to train harder and harder. I continued to push myself in an effort to meet the expectations of these strangers, even when I had a team of loving supporters right in front of my face.

My family was begging me to come back to reality and be present with them. All of these factors led to a pivotal moment where I was forced to reexamine my motivations and start living a full and present life.

I saw reality more clearly than ever before.

I had to learn to love myself. My life depended on it. I had to take the principles of my physical coaching and apply it to my mental and emotional wellbeing.

Life is too short to let your ego and insecurities control you.

This is how the Wake Up, Take Back Your Health, and Live Legendary program came to be. Only through a fearless look at our innermost motivations, desires, strengths, and setbacks can we begin to unlock our full potential in life and leave a legacy.